The Motor Forum

franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2382

Sorry for the lazy spelling and punctuation,but the sunshine is calling.

Had an hour and a half in one today,alas again restricted to roads immediately around central manchester so any handling observations are based on very limited experience.

The car to me is a stunning looking machine,alas not in silver which was the colour of the test car.
Got inside and a twinge of dissapointment set in.Initially when you look at it the interior looks very appealing.Spend a few minutes absorbing it and you realise it is goo looking but very outdated.Similar to the last generation mercs,far too many buttons.Worse was the quality.All the materials used just seemed cheap.The leather looked cheap,and the plastics which were used extensively almost nasty ,not a 90k interior if you ask me.
Settle into the seat and realise I have not sat on anything so uncomfortable all my life,honestly felt like sitting on 2 pieces of wood bolted together at 90 degrees,more dissapointment was when I was todl these were the 'comfort seats'.
Since I'm moaning I'll pull up the other big issue at this point because from thereon in it is all good.Flappy paddle gearchange..still doesn't do it for me.This one is better than the BMW SMG system but still to me too much of a compromise between the smoothness of an auto and the interaction and tactile sensations of a sorted manual.
The good stuff is the car steers very well,similar to the r8 in being very very accurate,quick and just a touch of feel.The handling as mentioned was difficult to exploit but it felt very well balanced and I can imagine lots of fun to be had sticking the tail out and gathering it back in.The ride was very firm but not uncomfortable,you were well isolated from the bumps ,but were aware of the car dealing with them.
The really the jewel in the crown..the engine and the noise.Honestly the engineis a masterpiece and when you put the sport mode on the sound is orgasmic,honestly I thoughtmy car osunded good with the milltek on,this thing is pure music.The ferrari 430 and the lambo v10 are amazing,but would be tiresome for daily use.This thing..press a button and you hear a lovely warble it is nice nice to cruise around in if you want to listen to the radio or stereo.Push the sport button and press the throttle and you will get a hard on.The engine is a gem in other respects,fast enough for the UK (maybe a tad fraction slower than the r8 but sounds faster),torquey and loves to rev...a true work of art.

So overall from a driving perspective a very convincing drive,and I could justify buying one on the grounds of its exhaust /engine noise alone it really is that good.The seats and interior quality let the car down,but the seating issue might be due to my shape (very narrow waist and wide back)
and my dislike of the gearbox maybe because I don'treally know the little tips on how to use it properly.

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:16 am Post subject: Re: maserati granturismo S

Gurney · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:46 am Post subject:

Yes the auto with paddles rather than the manual Cantbeanycoarser thingummy.

Flippin eck if it sounds as good as an R8 with a Milltek it must sound pretty damned good. Shame about the seats though.
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franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2382

franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2382

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject:

You can - the auto has paddles too. It's a much better solution than DuoSelecta!

Gurney · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:09 pm Post subject:

The QP is now being raced in a supersaloon series - early days at the moment, see here.

http://www.italiaspeed.com/

That rear wing is pretty vile mind you.
_________________
A Gentleman: Def: A male of the species who can play the Trombone.

But refrains from doing so.

Blarno · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:13 pm Post subject:

There's a GranTurismo that goes past me house regularly and it sounds rubbish, like an old Ford CVH with piston slap, nothing like what a V8 should sound like.

I still can't get used to the looks. The bonnet is too long and bent, makes it look like it's been yumped over a particularly fearsome humpback. I still maintain that no-one would be frothing in their smalls if it didn't have a Maserati badge on it.
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ALF · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:03 pm Post subject:

So buy an auto and change the seats. It's all about the engine!

SEOT (that's "sorted - end of thread" before you ask

)

franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2382

franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2382